The Golden State Warriors made three major acquisitions this offseason, signing De'Anthony Melton in free agency and adding Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield in the Klay Thompson six-team sign-and-trade.
Yet one of those isn't like the other two when it comes to contract situations. While Anderson and Hield are under team control for three and four years respectively, Melton is on a one-year deal before entering free agency again next July.
Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton will be playing for a new contract again this season
As a result, Melton's future beyond this season has already generated discussion even before making his Warrior debut. The 26-year-old may not have been available at Golden State's price point if not for a back injury that limited him to 38 games last season, meaning he could be in for a significant pay day next offseason if he can remain healthy.
But in a recent article looking at the 30 most impactful moves of the 2024 NBA offseason, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report believes Melton's signing at the mid-level exception could be sufficient to retain him long-term.
"Traveling the one-year route keeps the Warriors flexible if they prefer to move on, and the salary is high enough ($12.8 million) that the 120 percent raise they can offer Melton next summer using non-Bird rights should be more than enough to keep him in town," Favale wrote.
Those non-bird rights means Golden State will only be able to offer Melton a maximum of around $15.4 million when he enters free agency next summer, ensuring that his form and fitness will be a storyline throughout the course of this season.
John Hollinger of The Athletic had Melton at a $26.5 million valuation entering the offseason, labelling the former Philadelphia 76er as the "best value contract of this cycle so far" on July 2. If Melton can earn a starting role, play 25+ minutes per game and get back to his best, the Warriors may have a tough time in retaining him beyond just one season.
The franchise knows this situation all too well over recent years, having lost Donte DiVincenzo to the New York Knicks in free agency of 2023. Golden State could only offer the 2021 NBA champion a $5.4 million contract, well below the four-year, $46.9 million deal he got from the Knicks before now having been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
While the Warriors will be solely focused right now on how Melton can help them this season, it will be interesting to see if this can stem into a long-term union rather than just a short-term arrangement to benefit both parties.